Madrid: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Gareth Bale will make his long awaited debut for the club against Villarreal on Saturday night.
There had been some doubt as to whether the Welshman would feature having only played half an hour of competitive football so far this season in his country`s 3-0 defeat to Serbia on Tuesday.
However, Ancelotti insisted he will get some playing time in the clash between two of the four sides still with a 100 percent record in the league this season.
And the Italian also ended speculation about where Bale will fit into the Real side by saying he sees him playing from the right side of the attack.
"Bale arrived without doing a normal pre-season, but his physical condition isn`t bad. He will travel with the team and he will play," Ancelotti told a press conference on Friday.
"I need to decide if it is from the start or in the second half. He doesn`t have any problem with injuries, he is excited and is very motivated.
"He will almost certainly play on the right."
There had been suggestions in the Spanish press that Bale could even make his debut at left-back after Marcelo, Fabio Coentrao and Alvaro Arbeloa were all injured whilst on international duty.
Ancelotti confirmed though that he will instead opt for Nacho at left-back and that both Cristiano Ronaldo and Isco were fit after recovering from the knocks they picked up on their travels with their national teams.
However, the former AC Milan boss still wants more communication with national team managers to avoid more injuries in the future.
"We have not had luck with the national teams. We have recovered Isco, but Arbeloa, Marcelo and Coentrao are injured.
"Cristiano is fine. He has recovered and will play in Villarreal.
"We need more communication with the national teams to prevent injuries. I am open to talk with them."
Asier Illarramendi could also make his debut on Saturday following his 39 million-euro ($51 million, £34 million) move from Real Sociedad in July after overcoming an injury that has kept him out of the first few weeks of the season.
And Ancelotti also clarified his selection between Iker Casillas and Diego Lopez in goal by saying that Casillas, who has been benched in recent weeks, would start on Tuesday when Real begin their Champions League campaign away to Galatasaray.
AFP
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.